Beverage dispenser



April 3, 1934. c. A. GEDDES BEVERAGE DISPENSER Filed June 13, 1952 [N VENTOR W Charles A. Geddes A TTORNE V Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,953,162 7 BEVERAGE DISPENSER Charles A. Geddes, Rochester, N.

Richardson Corporation,

corporation of New York Application June 13, 1932, Serial No. 616,916

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in beverage dispensers, and has for its principal object the provision of a simple and inexpensive device for measuring the amount of flavoring syrup to be dispensed with each glass or stein of the beverage dispensed, so that all glasses or steins contain the same quantity of flavoring syrup.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a syrup chamber into which the syrup 1flows from a suitable source of supply, such as a reservoir, and mixed with carbonated water as it is dispensed therefrom, its flow to and from said chamber being controlled by the faucet valve.

' Still another object of the invention is the provision of a beverage dispensing apparatus having a syrup measuring chamber of this kind provided with a manually adjustable valve for increasing or decreasing its capacity to vary the amount of syrup content in the beverage dispensed or to dispense a larger portion of syrup with a larger glass or stein to maintain the beverage at a uniform strength.

To these and other ends, the invention con- 'sists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, the novel features being pointed out in the claim at the end of the 5 specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a beverage dispenser illustrating one possible embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view partly broken away showing the measuring chamber and means for withdrawing the beverage;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing parts in other positions, and Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Referring particularly to the drawing, in which is shown a beverage dispenser comprising a casing 1 which may be of any desired form, that .shown is in the form of a barrel for purposes of display. In this casing the usual syrup reservoir 2, the container for carbonated Water or other diluent usually under pressure and refrigerating means such as a boiler or dry ice container of iusual construction are housed.

Adjacent the base of the casing and secured in its wall is a dispensing device comprising a support 3 having passages 4 and 5 therethrough, the passage 4 being connected with the syrup :55. reservoir by means of a suitable pipe or conductor 6, while the passage 5 is suitably connected with the diluent container. Mounted on the outer end of the support 3 by means of a suitable coupling member 7 is a faucet member 8 in which a measuring chamber. 9 is provided and which is also provided with a cylindrical opening at its outer end. The passageways 4 and 5 register with openings 11 and 12 in the member 8 in which conductors 13 and 14 are arranged which extend through the measuring chamber 9 and at their outer ends connect with the opening in the outer end of the faucet member. The member 8 is provided with a hollow nipple 15 projecting upwardly therefrom and communicating at its lower end with the chamber 9. The opening in the nipple 15 has a valve seat at its lower end with which a valve 16 cooperates to close its opening into the chamber'9. The valve 16 is provided on the lower end of atubular valve stem 1'7 which communicates with the chamber 9 and is slidably mounted in the upper end of the nipple 15. At its upper end the tubular member 17 telescopes a tubular guide member 18 mounted on the casing 1 above the dispensing device and above the upper plane of the syrup reservoir 2.

Rotatably mounted in the opening in the outer end of the faucet member 8 is a cylindrical valve member 21 having'a U-shaped passage 22 which communicates at its inner endwith the passage 13 and at its outer end extends radially of the mem ber 21, and adjacent the outer periphery of the valve member extends inwardly again, and when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2 registers with the outer end of a passageway 23 leading back to the measuring chamber 9. When the parts are in the position shown in said Fig. 2, syrup from the reservoir 2 is free to flow under the force of gravity through the passageways 4, 13, 22 and 23 to' the measuring chamber 9, in which it rises in the tubular valve stem 17 until it reaches its own level, which is the level of the syrup in the reservoir. When the valve 16 is seated on its seat in the bottom of the hollow nipple 15, the'volume of syrup is measured by 100 the capacity of the chamber 9 and the hollow valve stem 17. When, however, the valve is raised from its seat, as shown in Fig. 3, the rising syrup fills the hollow nipple 15 and the volume of syrup contained in'the measuring chamber is increased 105 by the capacity of the auxiliary chamber'in the hollow nipple. When the valve is in this latter position, the measured volume of syrup is the largest within the capacity of the measuring chamber, and when it is moved to the Fig. 2 posi- 110 tion, the measured volume of syrup is at its minimum. In order to provide for easy adjustment of the tubular valve stem, a thimble 24 is threaded into the upper end of the nipple 15 and may be counterbored at its inner or lower end to receive the valve 16 and increase the capacity of the auxiliary measuring chamber. The thimble 24 has a central opening therein to slidably receive the hollow valve stem and at its outer end is also counterbored to receive a packing 25 for sealing the opening in the thimble and a nut or plug 26 loosely arranged on the tubular valve stem and adjustably threaded thereon into engagement with the packing. By this arrangement, the valve stem is frictionally held in adjusted position by the packing.

The valve member 21 is revolubly mounted in the faucet member 8 and is secured against axial displacement by means of a disk or closure 27 for the opening in the outer end of the faucet member; Manual means are provided for turning the valve member 21 which comprises a finger-piece 28 secured thereto by means of a projection 29 having a driving fit in an opening provided therefor in the valve member- The finger-piece projects radially outwardly from the valve member through an arcuate slot provided. therefor in the faucet member 8, the length of which determines the extent of its movement or the are through which the valve member may be rotated. At its inner end the valve member has a gasket 31 secured thereto which is seated against the inner end of the opening in which the valve member is mounted. The gasket 31 is; provided with a plurality of openings, one corresponding to each of the passages 13, 14 and 23, and registering with the openings in the valve member with which it turns. A screw may be threaded into a centrally arranged opening in the cap or closure 2'7, which has a pointed inner end to axially engage the valve member 21 and serves to maintain the gasket thereon in engagement with the inner end of the opening and to lock the cap 27 against accidental displacement.

The faucet member 8 has a downwardly projecting discharge nozzle 32 adjacent its forward end, the upper portion of which is enlarged to form a mixing chamber, and the faucet member has an opening 33 in its underside which connects its valve opening with this chamber. When the valve member is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the opening 33 is closed by the outer wall of the peripheral branch of the passage 22 and none of the beverage can escape therefrom. When, however, the valve member is turned to the position shown in Fig. 3, said peripheral branch of the passage 22 moves out of registration with the passage 23 and prevents the flow of syrup from the passageway 22 to the passageway 23 and the measuring chamber, and at the limit of its movement a second passageway 34 in the valve member 21 is brought into registration with the passage 23. At its outer end the passageway 34 leads radially outwardly or downwardly, as seen in Fig. 3, which opening registers with the opening 33 when its inner end registers with the passageway 23. By this arrangement, when the valve member 21 is turned to the position shown in Fig. 3, the passageway 22 is disconnected or out of registry with the passageway 23 so that the flow of syrup from the reservoir to the measuring chamber is shut off, and said passageway 23 is now connected with the discharge nozzle or its mixing chamber, permitting the syrup to flow from the measuring chamber to the discharge nozzle.

If desired, a screw 34 may be threaded in an opening in the valve member in axial alinement with the passageway 34 into which it is adjustable to vary the speed of flow of the syrup from its measuring chamber.

The diluent passageway 5 is connected with a passageway 36 in the valve member 21 by means of the passage 14, when the parts are in the Fig. 3 position. The passageway 36 extends forwardly in the valve member and is then inclined downwardly and rearwardly and at its lower end opens into the discharge opening 33 adjacent the passageway 34. By this construction, the diluent is discharged from the passage 36 into the mixing chamber with the syrup from the measuring chamber; when, however, the valve member is moved to the Fig. 2 position, the passageway 36 moves out of registration with the passage 14 and the passage 34 moves out of registration with the openings 33 and shuts off the flow of the diluent to the mixing chamber when the flow of the syrup thereto is shut off.

The operation is as follows: When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the discharge opening from the faucet member is closed and the syrup flows from the reservoir through the valve member to the measuring chamber until it reaches its level in the reservoir, during which time the air from the mixing chamber escapes from the lower end of the member 18, and the flow of the diluent through the valve member is shut off. When the valve member is turned to the position shown in Fig. 3, the flow of syrup to the measuring chamber is shut 011, but the passage 34 now registers with the passage 23 and the syrup flows from the measuring chamber to the mixing chamber in the discharge nozzle. At the same time, the passage 36 moves into registration with the passage 14, causing the diluent also to flow into the mixing chamber; if the diluent be carbonated water or other liquid under pressure, it flows with considerable force, causing a complete mixing with the syrup in the chamber. To vary the strength of the beverage dispensed or its syrup content, the valve 16 may be adjusted to vary the quantity of syrup dispensed with each operation of the valve member, as previously described. Adjustment of the valve 16 is also convenient when beverage of uniform strength is to be dispensed in glasses or steins of different sizes.

Although only one embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it will be understood that this application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as come within the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claim.

I claim:

In a beverage dispenser, the combination with a casing, of a faucet member mounted on the casing, said faucet member having a valve opening in its outer end and a measuring chamber in rear of the valve opening, a wall separating the measuring chamber and valve opening, a source of syrup supply, a pipe leading from the syrup supply through said measuring chamber and wall to the valve opening, a pipe for carbonated liquid extending through the measuring chamber and. wall to the valve opening, the aforesaid wall having a passage connecting the measuring chamber and valve opening, an auxiliary measuring chamber above the first mentioned measuring chamber, a valve separating the auxiliary measuring chamber from the first mentioned measuring chamber, said valve being movable to permit communication between the two chambers and to enlarge the capacity of the measuring chamber, the faucet member having an outlet beneath the valve opening, and a valve member mounted in said valve opening, said valve chamber having a U-shaped port which when the valve member is in one position establishes communication between said syrup pipe and said passage in the 

